Fated Meeting

"Good, very good. This should be about right. Just a few more adjustments to the treble values..." Tang Miaoyi muttered to herself, making adjustments on the mixing console with her skilled ears guiding her hands. She listened carefully to the music playing through her headphones, completely absorbed in her work and unaware of the presence of someone else in the recording studio.

It had been a while since Tang Miaoyi had seen a mixing console, but after some initial fumbling, she quickly regained her touch and melted into the soothing sounds. Her hands moved swiftly as if she were a real sound engineer.

It was impressive to watch her work. Her hands moving based on instinct, she maneuvered the dials with surgical precision. In her past life, if it weren't for certain factors, she might have become a professional musician instead of working for a talent agency as a mere music reviewer.

Despite being just a reviewer, Tang Miaoyi held herself to a high standard. To use a metaphor, if she were reviewing a refrigerator, she didn't need to possess the ability to freeze things with her mind, but she did need to understand the principles of refrigeration and the inner workings of the appliance in order to give a professional assessment.

So whenever she had the opportunity to learn more about the industry, she took it. Tang Miaoyi had worked tirelessly to become a competent music reviewer, enduring hardships and exerting tremendous effort. When she was working with music, she showed a side of herself that was vastly different from her usual self. This was the physical manifestation of her love for music itself.

As the recording progressed, the two of them took breaks two or three times to communicate through the electronic microphones on either side of the glass wall, discussing areas that needed improvement before continuing with the recording. They never got it perfect on the first try.

Because the lighting in the recording studio was so dim, neither of them noticed that their "Rival" in the industry Song Ziyin was secretly watching them from a corner.

As for Song Ziyin in the back...she was dumbstruck, completely immersed in the endless shock brought on by the music. The second set of headphones that Song Ziyin was wearing was synced with the audio from the sound engineer's work headphones. Compared to the sound engineer's headphones, the second set was meant for customers and did not have the annoying "tick-tock" metronome sounds, as it was just a guide for the engineer and performer. What she was listening to sounded much more polished than what both Miaoyi and Qiuying heard.

In any case, Song Ziyin had a great time listening to the two young women recording a few feet in front of her.

"So professional?" Song Ziyin remarked; the only word she could use to describe the image she was watching. She had expected two young girls who had come for the fun of it, or for the love of music, but instead, she walked in on a professional recording session.

Especially the light-blue-haired, cute little sister. Song Ziyin could only describe her as a master of her craft, even with her petit form.

While Tang Miaoyi stopped in the middle to exchange details with An Qiuying, Song Ziyin listened to the process behind her, becoming more and more stunned and amazed. The way she was communicating her vision was akin to a professional film director, using both physical and emotional direction...

There were some suggestions and professional details that Tang Miaoyi, that most amateur performers wouldn't comprehend. Song Ziyan having been in the industry for a while, could easily draw parallels with some of the most prolific producers.

That little blue-haired child spoke very descriptively, using very simple language. Even though the concepts she was expressing were very complex, she could explain them in a few flowery sentences.

"Where did this girl come from?" Song Ziyin blinked her big eyes and stared at Tang Miaoyi's back, "No, I must know her!"

Song Ziyin was careful not to disrupt them. She knew that making music required absolute focus, so she stayed quietly behind and listened to the process.

It wasn't until the recording was over that Tang Miaoyi took off her headphones, took a deep breath, and planned to call An Qiuying out to listen to the audio. If she found no problems, Tang Miaoyi just wanted to go home and sleep!!

This fierce operation looked shocking, but only Tang Miaoyi knew how tired she was. A song usually lasts only a few minutes, and it may not take much time to listen to, but the audience cannot imagine how much practicing and perfecting is behind those few short minutes.

So, God knows how sore Tang Miaoyi's hands are now, and how uncomfortable her neck is. "How did it turn out?" When An Qiuying came out of the recording studio, she was still nervous and asked about the recording situation first.

"Qiuying, you meanie, shouldn't you be concerned about me first?" Tang Miaoyi had a subtle smile, and exaggeratedly rubbed her neck, stretching out her arms to ask for a hug, "All of that work was tiring! But, you could give me a kiss to cheer me up?"

"How about I buy you an extra meal instead, so you can use that mouth of yours for something productive..." Qiuying attempted to tease Miaoyi back, but her face slowly morphed as she saw the grin on Tang Miaoyi's face grow larger...

"I can think of something more productive... hehehehe..." Miaoyi said with a grin.

AN Qiuying put her hand on her forehead and groaned. Miaoyi continued grinning, and opened her mouth to speak again. However, just as she was about to say something, a voice that was unfamiliar to her interrupted her, causing her to hold back what she was about to say.

"Hello," the voice came from Song Ziyin, who finally found an opportunity to speak.

After waiting for so long, she finally had a chance to say something. Song Ziyin carefully put back her monitoring earphones in place and spoke up, "I'm sorry to disturb you. Can I speak with you for a bit?"

"You are...?" Tang Miaoyi looked at Song Ziyin with some confusion and gave her a few glances.

Wearing a simple yet stylish loose chiffon shirt paired with a short skirt that reached one-third of her thighs, her tight and long straight legs were perfectly highlighted. Unfortunately, Miaoyi didn't recognize her at all!

"Are you a staff member? Do you need something?" Tang Miaoyi immediately reacted, furrowing her eyebrows and putting her thoughts aside.

"Sort of... wait a minute... Are you saying... you don't recognize me?" Song Ziyin tilted her head in confusion after hearing the answer.

Originally, Song Ziyin thought that with the current exposure of "Dreams Girls," and their target audience being their age group, Tang Miaoyi or An Qiuying should know who she is. Surprisingly, she was wrong.

"No..." Tang Miaoyi shook her head and gave Song Ziyin a skeptical look.

"Okay..." Without much thought, Song Ziyin was only slightly surprised and said, "Actually, I'm the owner of this recording studio. Our staff mentioned that you didn't request a recording engineer and wanted to record independently. So, I came to see for myself. I hope you can understand." Song Ziyin briefly explained her intentions.

"It's okay, I understand," Tang Miaoyi nodded unconcernedly. It's understandable that they can't let others mess around with equipment that costs millions.

"Can we get to know each other? I'm Song Ziyin," Song Ziyin smiled gently, and continued, "I saw you earlier and wanted to know if you're a professional sound engineer."

"I'm not a professional, just an amateur," Tang Miaoyi shook her head. Then, she thought of something and became a little wary, "Wait, I'm not getting a membership card. I only came here once, and if you ask me to get a card, forget it."

"It's okay, I'm not here to ask you to get a card," Song Ziyin smiled, crying internally. She felt that this Tang Miaoyi she was talking to now was a completely different person from the girl who was focused on sound engineering earlier. "Whether you get a card or not doesn't matter... Oh, by the way, did you write that song just now?"

Tang Miaoyi didn't answer immediately, but An Qiuying looked at Tang Miaoyi and spoke up for the first time, "It's a song that Miaoyi wrote herself."

"It's really written by yourself..." Song Ziyin was surprised.

Tang Miaoyi, who had little interest in getting to know the girl, said, "Well, since we've finished using the place... the price is reasonable and worth the equipment. If we need it again, we might come back. We'll leave now."

Tang Miaoyi moved quickly and efficiently, pulling out the audio and immediately deciding to head home with An Qiuying immediately.

After all, she had a lot of work to do after finally getting the original sound sorted out.

Meeting a pretty girl was nice, but Tang Miaoyi was more concerned with her music.

She walked out the door of room 03 dragging An Qiuying behind her, saying a brief goodbye to Song Ziyan as she walked past.

- - - - - - - - - -

Song Ziyin was still in shock when she realized that the two had already closed the studio door and left.

It was an interesting encounter.

"That's an interesting girl," Song Ziyin thought to herself after some reflection.

Later, feeling good, she left the recording studio and quietly returned to the front desk. Suddenly, she said to the receptionist, "Xiao Feifei!"

"The boss, scaring people can be deadly," the receptionist jumped in her seat, then quickly reprimanded Song Ziyan.

"Okay, I have a job for you. Get the registration information for the two who were just in 03 and send it to me, and while you're at it, enroll them as a gold member for a year."